No.2 displays its breadth of talent
10 March 2010
A recent run of successes has been enjoyed by the boys of No.2; the strong debating culture within the House led to places in the finals of both Junior and Senior competitions and the House Play won plaudits across the board, as well as a nice big trophy for the trophy shelves!
Shortly before half-term, the Junior team, comprising of Gerald Roseman and Josh Penrice and led by Jon Killam, spoke, re-butted and interjected with confidence and style, arguing the motion against the EH team. The careful preparation and the team\'s ability to think on their feet meant that they scored well and impressed the judges, allowing No.2 to retain the trophy for a second year.
The following day saw the House production of \'Much Ado About Clubbing\', a contemporary short play based upon the Shakespeare play of similar title. A terrific involvement within the house - nearly half of the boys - were marshalled, encouraged and led by the directors/lead players Richard Hardy and Alan Homeri. Strong individual performances (with some remarkable female impersonation from lead \'ladies\' Rob Nolan and Alex Khan, as well as Jack Metherell, whose cat-walk across the stage will remain in the memory for some time!) and good, continuous supporting acting impressed the panel of judges enough to gain the impressive Drama Cup for the directors Richard and Alan. Particular thanks go to Mr Packham for his help and advice, and Miss Bardel (our tutor), who supported and helped the cast in their preparations.
Returning from the half-term break, our Senior debaters took on the No.4 team in the final of the competition which has been running since the beginning of the year. Arthur Wakeley and Dylan Burke spoke exceptionally well to oppose the motion that \'This house would never go to war\'. Strong, well-structured arguments, careful research, clear speaking and good rebuttals were the order of the day - this certainly impressed the packed Long Room audience and remarkably led to them winning the floor vote, although sadly not all of the judges votes consequently No.4 emerged as the winners of this tightly fought contest. As a consolation, Arthur was awarded special, new prize, for "The Best Speaker" which he is likely to defend vigorously next year.
Finally the House again was matched against No.4 in the final of the Hart General Knowledge quiz. Teams, from each house battled it out in a quiz set and adjudicated by Mrs Laffferty on subjects as diverse as food, music and the latest news. This time No.2 won the day and for the 3rd time in 6 years carried off the trophy for \'the most knowledgeable house\'!! Well done to Arthur Wakeley, Dylan Burke, Jon Killam and Sam Goldblatt.